QR Film Review: Parasite

“Oh, this is so metaphorical.”

Somebody this year has probably told you that this Bong Joon-ho feature is the best film of the year. A colleague, a critic, one of your over-enthusiastic film student friends. After walking out of a press release screening this morning at Queen’s Film Theatre, I sit with hands still trembling to tell you: they were right.  Parasite has got some serious bite. 

Powered by cunning shot compositions, sharp comedic timing and a stunningly talented cast, Parasite includes a high-paced sequence in a garden party featuring a sausage skewer, a birthday cake, some rich women in sundresses, and a set of car-keys. And it is one of the most nail-biting action sequences to ever hit cinema screens. The film is part black comedy, part high drama. It is a tension-soaked deep-dive into the modern-day class divide. It’s about a family. And it’s about another family. It has a scene with a girl and a peach that made me gasp out loud. There are small dogs. There is a very important – or entirely unimportant – large rock.  There is a scene where a woman boils noodles that wracked my nerves so badly, I could barely look at the screen.

Go into this as cold as you can – no interviews, no plot synopsis, and if you haven’t seen the trailer yet: don’t. You will find something in this movie to fall in love with. Maybe the outstanding ensemble cast, or the breath-taking cinematography, or the moments of dark hilarity. There is something here in this movie for you, and there is no way to prepare yourself for how it will make you feel.